The 25 Best Food Moments in The Wire

It’s often said the most compelling character in HBO’s The Wire isn’t Jimmy McNulty, Avon Barksdale, or Omar Little, but the city of Baltimore itself. Throughout the show’s unforgettable five seasons, the Charm City isn’t just a passive bystander in the drama, but rather the vital, beating heart at the center of creator David Simon’s sprawling web of storylines.

Nowhere is this consuming sense of place more apparent than in the series’ brilliant use of food—after all, if a city is going to be the star, its regional flavors should be front and center. So many TV shows gloss over the way we eat, deeming it too mundane to warrant screen time. But Simon is no average storyteller, and by taking us straight into the literal gut of the city, he gives us a fascinating lens into what nourishes it.

For a show obsessively devoted to realism, it’s no surprise that The Wire nails Baltimore’s hyperregional eats, from Chaps Pit Beef and lake trout, to Faidley’s crab cakes and spicy fish sandwiches. But breaking bread runs much deeper than surface authenticity—indeed, meals are at center of many of the show’s most poignant moments, such as Bunny’s tragic attempt to treat his students to a steak dinner at a restaurant where their outsider status is palpable.

The symbolism of food isn’t lost on Simon either. He artfully plays on the connotations of beef and chicken in exploring the relationship between Wey Bey (the muscle) and D’Angelo Barksdale (the nervous thinker), or uses relatable details—like Omar’s penchant for Honey Nut Cheerios—to humanize even the most cold-blooded characters. He also shows how the places where characters dine—from the politico diner where corrupt deals go down, to the bulletproof glass-covered carryout spots of the Westside—reflect their place in the system.

Here, we break down the 25 most memorable food-centric scenes in the series. Got a favorite that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Wee-Bey Loves Horseradish

Season: One
Episode Name: "Lessons"
Actual Baltimore restaurant: Chaps Pit Beef
The Barksdale boys go to eat some pit beef (a beloved Baltimore sandwich made with grilled top round shaved thin and served on a sandwich) for lunch. Wee-Bey—the muscle in the group—spreads tons of horseradish all over his order, which elicits a response from D'Angelo: "Damn, Bey, how can you stand that shit with all that hot shit on it?" The stone-cold killer replies, "The trick is not to give a fuck, boy. I got this."
Pit beef acts as both a regional marker for the Baltimore working-class neighborhood where the scene takes place, as well as a symbolic divide between Wee-Bey—the metaphorical "beef" who can dismiss it all—and D, who is incapable of doing such (he is commonly associated with chicken on the show).
Unfortunately, this YouTube clip ends before we see Wee-Bey choke on his super-spicy sandwich.
Photo: goodiesfirst.com

Copping to More Murders for Pit Beef

Season: One
Episode name: "Sentencing"
Food: Pit Beef
Inside an interrogation room, already enjoying one pit beef sandwich and fries, Wee-Bey agrees to cop to more murders saying, "For another pit sandwich and potato salad, I'll go a few more." The order: "Medium-rare, a lot of horseradish." For that he owns up to Little Man, the security lady, and the maintenance man. The funny thing is that after taking the fall on all those bodies—some of which he isn't even responsible for—the pit-beef spot is out of potato salad. Damn.

Faidley's Crab Cakes for the Boys

Season: One
Episode Name: "The Cost"
Actual Baltimore restaurant: J.W. Faidley
McNulty is no dummy—he knows that if you are looking for a favor, you have to make it worthwhile to play ball. That means delivering crab cakes and beers to other officers while they wait on Wallace to show up. As he pulls the stash from the trunk, McNulty remarks, "Mrs. McNulty didn't raise no fools. Four Faidley’s crab cakes in the bag, 24 Dutch beers in the box.” Not only does Jimmy deliver crab cakes, but he gets them from the mecca of B-More crabby patties, earning a nod of approval: “Faidley’s, huh? You alright McNulty, I don’t care what all them motherfucks downtown say about you.”
Photo: andromedadrive.blogspot.com
Photo: andromedadrive.blogspot.com

Mom Brings Lunch to the Pit

Season: One
Episode: "The Target"
Actual Baltimore restaurant: Sterling's Crab & Oyster House
The first time Brianna Barksdale (Avon's sister and D'Angelo's mother) is introduced on The Wire, she is bringing D lunch in the pit—the low rises he has been demoted to. Food in this scene acts as a means of showing the role of a mother's devotion to her son while she brings him lunch at work, as well as displaying the quite literal ties between geography and class in Baltimore. Brianna brings D fish from Sterling's Seafood, a local Baltimore restaurant, prompting Wallace to comment, "If it ain't in the Westside, I don't know it, yo." The Terrace is all Wallace knows, and as small as B-More may be, the Westside is even smaller. Your local fish joint says everything about where you're from, and the show often uses food as a marker of neighborhoods and class divides.

D'Angelo Takes his Girl to Dinner

Season: One
Episode Name: "The Pager"
Actual Baltimore restaurant: The Prime Rib
"Do they know?" D asks his girl, "what I'm about?" On multiple occasions in The Wire, fine-dining restaurants are used to show class divides. Feelings of societal separation come out at the dinner table. D bristling at a server crumbing the table and reaching for his own dessert off the display cart reflect what Avon Barksdale's nephew is battling internally—he'll never be like them, and what's it all for anyway?

Chicken McNugget Philosophy

Season: One
Episode: "The Detail"
Food: Chicken McNuggets
Poot, Wallace, and D'Angelo sit in the pit and speculate about the man who created the McNugget. Wallace is convinced that because the nugget changed everything, the guy must be rich: "Motherfucker got the bone all the way out the damn chicken. 'Til he came along, niggas been chewing on drumsticks and shit, getting their fingers all greasy." The McNuggets issue leads to a discussion about who gets credit and who gets paid. D tells Wallace, "The man who invented them things is just some sad ass at the basement of McDonald's." Poot and Wallace are the ones who would go down for selling drugs, while the big players, the Ronald McDonalds, make all the money. "It ain't about right, it's about money," D tells Poot. Who knew Micky D's could inspire such real talk.

Chicken Versus the Beef

Season: One
Episodename: "The Target"
Actual restaurant in Baltimore: New York Fried Chicken
This is the first instance that Wee-Bey is signified as the beef of the crew, and D'Angelo the chicken. After D has been acquitted for shooting a guy in the elevator of the towers, he says to Bey in the car, "That's slick what you did with the lady in the courthouse." This is a major drug-game faux pas—no talking in the car or on the phones, yo! New York Fried Chicken (from the owners of Kennedy Fried Chicken in NYC) is the staging for the scene where Bey reprimands D for doing so.
Bey stands below the sign for burgers while D is under the sign that reads chicken. Wee-Bey is a cool and collected killer, a business man, while D'Angelo is scared, unsure, and well, a chicken. New York Fried Chicken pops up quite a bit throughout all five seasons and—distressing factoid alert!—happens to be the location where Felicia "Snoop" Pearson was part of a scuffle that ended in a murder in real life.

McNulty and Bunk Eat Crabs

Season: Two
Epidsode name: "Collateral Damage
Food: Fresh-off-the-boat Maryland crabs
After getting stuck on a patrol boat, Jimmy has some "fringe benefits," a.k.a. free crabs. He and Bunk sit in one of the homicide interrogation rooms and eat crabs off of newspaper while guzzling Miller Genuine Draft. The conversation is raunchy as usual, about catching another kind of crab in the murder police unit. It's hard not to love these two—and to crave some Maryland crabs—while watching the scene.

McNulty Wasted at the Late-Night Diner

Season: Two
Episode Name: "Duck and Cover"
Actual restaurant in Baltimore: Hollywood Diner
As much as Jimmy McNulty's drunk ass should be upsetting, it's more entertaining than anything else. This is without a doubt one of the most memorable scenes displaying McNulty's boozehound lifestyle, when he's in swift decline due to too much Jame-O. After crashing his car—twice—he stumbles into a diner for a coffee. The waitress looks half-decent so he splurges on scrapple and eggs too. Then on to a one night stand, naturally! Too bad the lady he wakes up with in the morning is definitely not the chick his beer goggles painted the night before.
The famous Baltimore Hollywood Diner is no longer open, but it is also recognizable as being the main location for Diner, the Baltimore film by Wire co-director Barry Levinson.

Lake Trout Carryout

Season: Three
Episode Name: "Moral Midgetry"
Food: Lake trout, a sandwich of Atlantic whiting (not actually trout) that is battered, fried in oil, and served on white bread.
Note: scene begins at 3:27 in the video above.
The Lake Trout carryout is the location where Avon will attempt to kill Marlo. Snoop is posted up early, waiting for Marlo to meet Devonne and surveying the scene while enjoying some fried fish. The dude at the counter orders, "Four trout on white, extra mayo on one, hot sauce on two and another with ketchup, and four orange sodas,” to bring back to the car to the Barksdale crew.
The regional Baltimore sandwich acts as a marker of location, as it is commonly sold for cheap in lower income neighborhoods. The sandwich joint is also a believable place for Devonne and Marlo to meet, as Avon tries to set him up. Like Wee-Bey and his pit beef, people on the show feel strongly about the way their lake trout is prepared, and what they are drinking it with. It is a sandwich synonymous with B-More.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Season: Four
Episode Name: "Know Your Place"
Actual restaurant in Baltimore: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
After being the first team to put together a puzzle in Bunny's class, he takes the three winners out for a fancy dinner at Ruth's Chris as a reward. The scene is one similar to that of D'Angelo's in the first season, demonstrating how uncomfortable the children are outside of their familiar surroundings. It is as if the fine-dining scene of Ruth's Chris exists in an entirely different planet than the one in which the three kids live. Watching their frustration mount is one of the show's most poignant and uncomfortable moments. Again, food is a marker of society. This dinner teaches Bunny more about the way the kids view themselves than anything in the classroom has so far. The episode is aptly titled "Know Your Place."

Bodie and McNulty at the Sandwich Joint

Season: Four
Episode name: "A New Day"
McNulty walks into a sandwich joint to grab lunch and who does he run into but Bodie. The restaurant gives them a new space to interact outside of the interrogation room, and it seems that choosing the same place for lunch initiates a sort of understanding that continues to be built upon. "Health Department shut down Chicken George again?" McNulty playfully asks, as Bodie tells him he's laying low for the day, since the police are hitting the corners hard. The necessity of food brings the two together, all while painting a scene of a humble Baltimore lunch spot.

Bodie and McNulty Eat In the Park

Season: Four
Episode Name: "Final Grades"
After getting charges dropped on Bodie, McNulty takes him for some lunch in a park over near Pimlico. This meeting prefigures the circumstances that lead to Bodie being killed, as having close dealings with a cop eventually gets him pegged as a snitch. Still, lunch acts as a common ground, a sort of neutralizer of roles. Over sandwiches in the arboretum, McNulty is not a cop for a moment, and Bodie not a lieutenant for Marlo. They are just a couple of guys working in two separate systems that are screwing them over. This is the second time that lunch brings the two together not as cat and mouse, but as two men who respect each other.

I Don't like the Orange Ones

Season: Four
Episode name: "Know Your Place"
Food: Orange M&Ms
After initially being fooled by his misleading nickname (watch the scene above), Herc finally tracks down Little Kevin (not so little, as it turns out) to interrogate him about the murder of Lex—but it's all shenanigans after that. Little Kevin is eating peanut M&Ms, meticulously picking out the orange ones and setting them aside, until Herc gets frustrated and grabs the bag away to demand that talk. As soon as he gives the candy back, Little Kevin goes right back to ignoring him.
Food is a fixture during police interviews, from feeding Wee-Bey to get more murder confessions out of him, to tricking a kid into confessing with some McDonald's. These run-ins with the law are commonplace for the corner hustlers, and Little Kevin's focus on snacking shows just how unfazed he is.

Omar Loves Cheerios

Season: Four
Episode name: "Home Rooms"
Food: Cheerios
It's a running gag that Omar—who is even terrifying in satin-blue pajamas—loves his Cheerios, especially of the Honey Nut variety. Even when he is in "retirement" somewhere in Spain or South America, he is annoyed that he can't get his hands on his favorite cereal. Simon again uses food to put the drama into relief: Omar might be a stone-cold killer with a sawed-off shot gun, but everybody's gotta eat. Why not have the man who makes children run in fear love Cheerios?

McNulty and Bunk Talk Lake Trout

Season: Four
Episode Name: "Home Rooms"
Food: Lake Trout
Season four has Jimmy looking like he has his act together—no drinking, no womanizing, and coming home to Beadie and the kids at night. Even his ex-wife is impressed. Old partner and best buddy, The Bunk, is not fooled. After a nice dinner with the new family, the guys find their way down to their old drinking spot by the train tracks. A conversation about lake trout is loaded with metaphor, as Bunk describes the Baltimore classic as being neither from a lake, nor made with trout. This is probably the best example of foods larger role in The Wire, as Bunk is clearing referring to Jimmy and not just the fried "white trash" sandwich.
Unfortunately there was no YouTube clip to be found, but the exchange goes something like this:
Bunk: You know those little corner joints in the ghetto that sell subs, fried chicken, lake trout?
McNulty: Lake trout.
Bunk: Like egg creams in New York.
McNulty: No eggs, no cream.
Bunk: Exactly—no lake, no trout.
McNulty: Like Pogies. White fish. Trash fish.
Bunk: White trash fish? I mean, lake trout, that’s all marketing—it’s just all dressed up like something it ain’t. You know what I’m saying?
McNulty: Sometimes it is what it is. It really is.
Bunk: That’s deep. I like the way you think.
McNulty: Yeah, you too.

Bunny and the Deacon Talk Hot Dogs at Polock Johnny's

Season: Four
Episode name: "That's Got His Own"
Actual restaurant in Baltimore: Polock Johnny's
After the shutting down of "Hamsterdam" and Bunny Colvin's work at the school, he and the Deacon get pretty tight. They meet for a few hot dogs at Polock Johnny's, a Baltimore institution since 1921, but the Deacon won't touch the stuff. The conversation revolves around pig, and it's hard not to link the word to its other connotation regarding cops—although it really might just be about the meat. Either way, the Deacon tells Bunny he messed up putting kraut and chili on his dog instead of the original sauce. The more classic order means going for The Works—a Polish dog with special sauce—rather than the Everything, which Bunny opted for.

Cop Tactics with McDonald's

Season: Five
Episode Name: "More with Less"
Food: Two Quarter Pounders, large fries, McDonald Land cookies, and Dr. Pepper
The Wire was known for its epic opening scenes, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Bunk and the team get a confession out of young suspect using only a bag of Mickey D's and a copy machine. Behold the power of the Quarter Pounder.

Front and Follow

Season: One
Episode Name: "Lessons"
Actual location in Baltimore: Northeast Market
Episode eight of season one opens with McNulty out on "market day" with his kids—one's eating a cookie, the other has ice cream, and McNulty gets a lemonade for himself. Everything's all calm and cool until McNulty spots Stinger Bell strolling through the stalls. He enlists the kids to play a game called front and follow—a police tactic used to track suspects—and they do a bang-up job. The same can't be said for McNulty, who totally looses them and has go get help from market security to track them down. At any rate, the market looks pretty sweet, with fresh produce and a stall called "B-B-Q & Fish."

Dock Worker's Breakfast

Season: Two
Episode name: "Collateral Damage"
Season two is all about the docks, and holy hell can the longshoremen drink. Most meals are consumed in liquid form, like a breakfast of raw eggs cracked into a beer with a shot of whiskey. Not sure if this is a Baltimore tradition or not, but that is certainly one way to stay warm down by the water.
Although there is no video of this scene online, we did find one of the time Ziggy brings his duck to Dolores' bar. Unfortunately, it doesn't end so well for the feather-covered lush.

Guards Deliver Avon KFC in Prison

Season: Two
Episode name: "Collateral Damage"
Food: KFC
While Avon Barksdale serves his sentence and loses some control over his corners, he does just fine when it comes to grubbing on the inside. Security guards bring him KFC while poor Wey Bey gets his fake fish tank knocked over. Looks like the kingpin got a family-size order and a grape soda too.

Hustling Candy in the School Cafeteria

Season: Four
Episode Name: "Home Rooms"
On the first day of school Randy ganks all of Prez's hall passes so that he can sell candy whenever he likes. The enterprising youngin' wears three shirts to school to fool teachers and attend other grades' lunches. It's hard not to love Randy for selling something other than dope, even if he is skipping class. And getting Prez to order in bulk for him—can't knock the hustle. Too bad it ends so harshly for him.

Power Lunches at the Diner

Season: Multiple
Actual restaurant in Baltimore: Werner's Diner
Throughout the five seasons of The Wire, diner scenes pop up a lot. From Burrell meeting with Carcetti, to Daniels and Randy meeting with the Judge, to Gus meeting with council president Nerese Campbell, we see that power lunches certainly exist in Baltimore, but they ain't fancy. Compared to all the take-out spots the show depicts on the Westside, these slightly more formal meals become associated with politics, corruption, and black mail. Who knew ordering a tuna sandwich and making your buddy pay could be such a loaded move.

Bag of Crabs for Bubs

Season: Five
Episode name: "30"
Food: Baltimore Crabs
In one of the more memorable scenes of season five, a drug-free Bubs sits with his sponsor, Walon, and eats a bag of crabs from his job. That bag of crabs will later be given to his sister before she closes the door on him, locking him downstairs. Sharing food rather than intravenous needles represents something new for the cleaned-up character. In the end, it is a communal meal that represents his re-entrance into the world and the acceptance of his family. In case you didn't realize yet, food on The Wire is mad deep.

Cheesesteaks from Bill's

Season: Three
Episode name: "Back Burners"
Actual restaurant in Baltimore referenced: Bill's Carryout
Herc and another policeman work a corner down in "Hamsterdam" and try to figure out what to eat for lunch. The partner suggests cheesesteak from Bill's, but Herc's over it. That's right when Avon rolls by. After about 20 seconds of being upset about Barksdale's release, Herc turns his attention back to lunch. "Pit beef from the market," the other policeman suggests. Herc's happy—"see, now you're thinking like police!"

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